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SpookyCopters Helis
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MICRON V2 REVIEW.
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INTRO:
First of all, let me tell you I received the parts to build the heli (as I have asked for), and not the RTF version, so I made my own assembly trying to respect the stock configuration and avoiding at this stage any kind of mods or changes. I used a 9t. pinion and the same motors (main and tail) used in the Micron FP "v1".
When the ARF and RTF are in the market, we will see how the heli has to be "officially" built according to manual.(see the updated review here)
I would also have to comment I am a dealer of Precision Heli products, but my intention is to make an objective and non-advertising review, so friends and customers know what they can get with this new version and also have a comparison to the previous versions.
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The frame is totally redesigned. It is more rigid than the first one is, and the housing for the servos and the antirotation fork shows that this time the swashplate is fitted at 90º with the heli axis... quite surprising.
Compared to the previous frame, this one features housings where to put the servos, Aileron servo to the right side, and Elevator servo to the left part of the frame.
Front frame tray is more rigid, also, with an edging all around its profile to hold the electronics in place.
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The parts look very well molded, and the new flybar is in fact a fantastic design... it is rigid, but a certain elasticity tells it must be tough in case of crash.
The rest are very simple parts, but pushrods came assembled to their proper lenght, what takes out a lot of work.
What I like a lot about what I see, is that there are not so many parts changed... that is really nice, because it does not mean the Micron FP "V1" is obsolete and we have to put it in the bin to spend our money on a different heli... owners of the previous version will be able to upgrade to the V2 without major expenses.
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The servos fit in their position perfectly. They snap softly in their locations on the frame, no need to glue or put tape. Even without the upper part of the frame they hold well in position, thus allowing us to move them forward or rear a bit so the servo arms fit exactly under the correspondent ball of the swash.
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Taking out the wrapping of 3 in 1 board and receiver, and shortening cables, I could save some weight, I know, but I am trying to assemble it in the most straight way, not using any modifications or changes to see how the heli works "as stock as possible". From what I am seeing, the necessary changes are already there.
No mystery with the electronics - they worked at once on the first try - well it´s true, though, I have seen a couple of them by now so it´s easy.
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The upper frame has a rail so it stays in the adequate position. It goes over the servos, closing them in position. I have not glued it, the rubber rings on the shaft hold it in place, I really don´t know if I should put glue.
I guess in case of a rather hard crash the rings would go up, the upper frame too, and maybe a servo could slip out of place... well, better than broken, I think.
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The rest of my heli (landing gear, tail motor housing and boom, and main blades), is the same as in the Micron FP we have now. (There will be a new tail motor and fin according to the manufacturer´s webpage)
The head is also the same, but has new shorter screws to be fixed to the new blade cradle... no "teeter" now between both parts.
The pushrods for the head and the servo arms came with their proper lenghts, simplifying the setup of the swasplate and main rotor.
The tail boom did not need any glue; in the frame I assembled the boom just press- fit. In fact, I have not used a single drop of cyano in the whole assembly.
I just used 4 little points of contact glue to fix the landing gear struts in the skids.
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Finally, here we have the finished Micron V2.
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Micron V2 Flying
When checking the correct working of every channel, I found the Elevator needs to be reversed, compared to my Micron V1, due to the different position and orientation of the servo.
After checking the gravity center of the Micron, we are ready for the Maiden Flight!
I am really impressed. Well, the new battery pack (230mah 15C) has something to do with it, I´m sure, but the V2 lifts in the air like a feather and the stability has changed a lot!
The new flybar works, I can tell you. You just have to be sure that both links (from swash to flybar) are exactly the same length, and both paddles will spindle with a very good tracking.
The flybar is a bit shorter (just a tiny bit) than in the V1, and this together with the new flybar being more solid (and a bit more heavy I think) provides a really stable hovering, and a very progressive response to the cyclic inputs.
The V2 has improved stability. Also you can feel that the controls are more "true", and it maybe has to do with the new system of rotor head, which this time has no teeter (sway) between the rotor cradle and the head.
I think mine is a bit too heavy, and it would fly even better with 2 gr. less or so. I will take out some weight and see. Without canopy it flies better (like any sub micro, that´s true), so the lighter the better it will fly.
Flight Times
After the second flight, the battery has taken 198 mah... this was difficult to achieve with the previous packs and the Blue Arrow 3 in 1.
In the fifth flight, without canopy, I have flown for 8.20 min. before the blue led started blinking, ( indicating battery is beginning to be low), and 9.20 without feeling a noticeable loss of lift or tail response.
These times have been shorter when flying with the canopy, (in about 1 or 1,1/2 minutes), and I noticed the decrease in lift when the led was blinking fast for half a minute.
Lightening the heli would not be difficult taking out wrappings of electronics as I said, then flying with canopy would be as now flying without, I guess.
I had a crash at medium speed against the sofa... no broken parts, just the links pop out from the flybar, remaining in the swahsplate balls.
It is possible to make a controlled and slow forward flying, also side-in hover is easy.
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Conclusions:
I have to admit, before testing the V2, I was not very convinced by the idea of a "one piece" flybar, paddles and arms.
I thought: well, if this could work as well as the separate elements put together, then why the Raptors and Freyas don´t have them in one piece?
But this is theory... and a funny thing with RC helis (specially sub micros) is that theory is not always true...
In fact, the one piece flybar assembly works as well as the previous one, in the Micron.
And undoubtedly, the advantages are many... no more tiny Allen screws to deal with, and in case of a crash the flybar assembly will pop out instead of breaking the screw threads or the flybar.
The new flybar itself does not look to me like easy to break. I doubt it could be broken on a normal or hard crash. Of course other parts could be damaged but this one looks quite tough.
As I mentioned before, I did not have to use any cyano glue, neither even tape for the servos: Just 2 tiny pieces of double tape to give some isolation and fixing to the board and receiver.
The many improvements of this new version are going to make the Micron a much more popular heli, as everything is so much easier to build, setup and adjust now.
Also it will make it easier for the factory to offer a totally RTF version for the ones who don´t want to build their own heli.
It is a good thing to have a helicopter which can fly in a small room, so we don´t have to wait until the weather is right or it is weekend to train the thumbs a bit.
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But it is even nicer if this does not require to spend hours trying to find the perfect adjustments for tiny parts like the very important flybar system, or the servo pushrods and so on.
The only thing I would miss in this new version is main blades with a bit more of material in the area of the root. The blades flex in this part, and it is neccessary to check that the angles in the roots of both blades are equal so the tracking is correct.
Honestly I don´t know if the blades not being elastic could break easier on a crash, and also there is the possibility that when they flex they find their tracking better, and a very slight coning angle that stabilizes the heli thanks to a certain dihedral effect.
In my modest opinion, it might also be nice to see how the Micron V2 handles with a bit longer flybar. When you are familiar with the Micron flying, you would enjoy a faster control, I think.
The new flybar is going to make it easier for beginners, so a longer flybar could be an option or upgrade for when you are more familiar with the Micron and you want to fly in really narrow spaces.
In the sides of the new blade cradle there are two little holes. In the factory they told me they are for adding carbon bars with weights, which will help beginners as well, as their page explains.
The new pack makes a huge difference. The V1 changes a lot too with it. The fact that it is 230 mah instead of the 250 of the previous packs does not seem to affect flight times negatively, now they are much longer.
Summing up, I think the Micron V2 is a really nice heli, and a really well developed design. Many congratulations to the people of Precision Heli for releasing this new little bird, which I think will popularize the general use of sub micro helis.
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V2 or V1?
Well, for somebody who wants to begin with sub micros ( also don´t forget the CX, coaxial rotor, is about to be released), or to have a heli more simple to keep in good flying condition, obviously the V2 is the choice.
But, if you like little things with lots of working details, or the smallest heli with full components of the bigger ones, the V1 has its advantages, as well.
Also I am wondering how a V2 (with the new positioned servos and swash at 90º) would react with the V1 flybar, arms and paddles... (room for some fiddling, here).
The good thing is that the difference between both versions is not that much, so transforming one into the other, or combine elements of both is not difficult.
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Text and pictures by Toni Diez, MaxRpm RC,
www.spookycopters.com
12-09-2006
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V2 RTF KIT
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Six months had passed, and now the Micron V2 is sold RTF with and without transmitter. Time to see how this little bird flies out of the box.
During the first months of production, the V2 was supplied with the Blue Arrow 3 in 1 and a separate receiver.
From the end of the year, it was substituted by the Blue Arrow 4 in 1 board, with the receiver included inside the board.
Also in this second units the main motor has been changed for one very similar.
The good news is that this new board has much more power that the 3 in 1 board. In fact, most pilots reported that their Micron V2 with the 3in1 mixer board and the supplied 8t. pinion had not enough lift or poor flight times.
I have assembled many units with that 3in1 board version, and in fact just in one case I was able to fly it with 8t. pinion, so had to swap the pinion for a 9t. to get good results.
With this new 4in1 board and main motor there is much more power... in the main motor. (Even too much!) The bad news is that the power in the tail motor sometimes is not enough to counteract the torque of the main rotor, without using the advanced functions of a good digital transmitter. Then the use of the Micron V2 with a normal 4 channels analogical transmitter can encounter some difficulties.
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Also from December 2006, the Micron V2 brings several other improvements and changes.
-The flybar links, that in the first units was composed of a steel wire rod and 2 little clevis, is now made in one white plastic piece.
This is a very positive improvement, as there is not need anymore to adjust both links to the exact same length, as before (these not being equal will cause unstable flight).
Also the white colour makes them easy to find if they fly away in a crash. The play between the link and the balls in the flybar and swash plate is much smoother now (in most cases).
-Also the servo links come now in one piece. This is not so good, as not being possible to regulate their length, it is pretty difficult to get a levelled swash plate with the servos in neutral position.
Still, this can be cured setting the trims in the transmitter, but obviously this will reduce the servo throw or way.
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The assembly of the RTF Micron V2 is already made in the factory.
It is delicate to give an opinion about the setup of a RTF heli. We have to consider the price and the market in which the heli is located. Also, it could be unfair to base that opinion in just one unit analyzed, as this one could be a case of "bad luck".
I can only talk of the units that I have had in my hands (many now), but of course the finishing and flying results will change form unit to unit.
In this particular case, the assembly is quite correct (considered the small size of the helicopter) with a few things that are not so satisfying in the customers opinion.
The servos, tail boom and tail motor housing have been fixed with hot melt glue. This particular adhesive has the advantage of being relatively elastic, very fast to use and not very difficult to take out.
The disadvantage is of course the weight, that in some units more than others has been increased. It is difficult to apply in small quantities, so sometimes we may find slightly too big drop of glue somewhere.
Still, it is effective in its fixing purpose, but if you want to save some weight in your heli and have a better look, you should take it out and use thin and strong adhesive double tape.
The other point that most users mention is the main blades not having the same pitch and angle. Of course nobody expects that an average RTF helicopter is having the blades perfectly balanced in weight, but the misshape of the main rotor will affect strongly the flight capacities.
If you are not happy with your main blades shape, you may find some help in my Micron Tips and Tricks page.
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In between the best points of the V2 RTF, the landing gear struts and skids have been recently upgraded, being now stronger. Also, they snap perfectly indeed with no glue to each other, having the possibility of still disassembling in a hard crash avoiding to break.
Also the quality and finishing of the plastic parts is very good. There is not excess of flashing from the moldings, and all parts (except the tail fin that breaks easily) are in their perfect point between stiffness and elasticity, being able to undergo a lot of crashes and impacts without any damage.
With the latest V2 units that we have received, there is also a very nice point: the general weight has been reduced from more than 58 to around 56 gr. with new lighter servos. More than 2 grams is a big difference flying the Micron, more having in mind that this little guy started weighting a bit more than 50 gr. with battery (the first version of Micron FP with separated electronic components), and every design has an ideal weight that should not be increased if we want to have a nice flying heli.
All in all, the new Microns can be flown really well after some work and adjustments, but if you are looking for a "out of the box" plug-and-fly heli toy this may not be what you are expecting.
Instead, it is still a very attractive choice for the hobbyist with a little experience, that leaves room for lots of fiddling and investigation.
Being a relatively new design concept, it is continuously changing looking for improvements. Hard to make an RTF heli that small and with the level of finishing and attention to detail the market expects.
One of the reasons for this is the lack of good quality electronics of this super small size in the market. It is a real pity that names like Hacker or Castle Creations don´t go into this direction, manufacturing smaller gyros and controllers.
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